Forget-Me-Not
by Demosthenes23
Summary: What if Murdoch had lost his entire memory at the Alice in Wonderland Party?
1. A Chance to Start Over

Someone was attempting to awake me. I wished they would stop. My head was pounding and I felt sick to my stomach. But still they persisted in shaking my shoulder. Reluctantly I opened my eyes to find two young men wearing the same dark blue outfits (constable uniforms?) hovering over me. The nearer one with short dark brown hair was repeatedly calling me sir.

With some effort I pushed myself into a sitting position and said, "Who are you?"

The two men shared a look with each other and the helmet less man said, "Sir, it's me, George." I must have given him a blank stare for he continued, "Do you really not know who we are?"

I shook my head once, instantly regretting this decision for the world began to swim. I held on to George for support, which he readily applied.

"I'm afraid I don't even know who _I_ am."

This realization should have disturbed me but for some reason it didn't. It was as if a weight had been lifted and I was free to start anew and remake myself into whatever form I saw fit.

George glanced over his shoulder and said in a commanding tone, "Henry, get Dr. Ogden in here straight away!"

Henry took off. George returned his worried attentions to me. "It's going to be all right, sir. I'm sure the doctor will sort you out in no time."

Shortly after he said this a beautiful woman entered the bedroom and said, "What's going on?"

I thought her voice was the prettiest thing I had ever heard. Which I suppose wasn't saying much since I had only been self aware for a few minutes. Nevertheless my body seemed to respond to this woman and I suddenly had an almost overwhelming urge to touch her.

George walked over to her and said something in hushed tones. Dr. Ogden appeared very distressed and I longed to comfort her. The two men waited in the doorway as she came over to my side. She opened a black bag and pulled out a flashlight.

"Don't be alarmed now, William, I'm just going to shine this light in your eyes to determine if you are suffering from any neurological damage."

William? I felt no association to the name, only her. I stared at her face trying to take in all the details, wanting them to be the first thing I memorized completely in this new life.

"William? Did you understand what I just said?"

I simply nodded and she got to work. She smiled slightly afterwards. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a needle. Reflexively I moved away from it. Her smile widened.

"It appears that your instincts have not entirely left you."

_If you only knew._

"Do you know what this is?" she asked.

"A needle," I said, confused by the question.

"Good. And that?" she said pointing to the lamp beside my head. I told her what it was.

"Does your head hurt?"

"Yes."

"I'll need to examine it too then."

She gave it a quick once over with her eyes and then started running her hands through my hair and I closed my eyes in satisfaction, sighing in contentment.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No," I said with a smile, "I am quite enjoying myself."

Dr. Ogden removed her hands and looked at me strangely. Then she hastily glanced away and said, "Well everything seems to be in order. There doesn't appear to be any signs of physical or neurological damage. I suspect that you were drugged last night. I will need to run further tests to be sure though."

She was halfway to the door when I called out, "Wait! What is your name?"

Dr. Ogden turned around to face me, looking out of sorts and said, "Julia. My name is Julia."

"Julia," I repeated. "That's a lovely name."

"Thank you...William."

With one last fleeting glance she exited the room. I smiled contentedly to myself, happy in the knowledge that I would get to spend more time with her.

Not long after George came back into the room and said, "The doctor is leaving now, sir, you need to go with her."

I nodded and the man helped me out of the bed, down the stairs and into a waiting carriage. Julia was already in there, as was something (someone?) covered with a white sheet. Once we started moving, I attempted to peek under it and she grabbed my wrist gently, shaking her head. It was then that I noticed the ring on her finger.

"I take it you're engaged then?"

_To me_? I thought hopefully.

She seemed taken aback by the question and looked away. "Indeed I am."

My heart sunk. _Not me then._

"When are you to be married?"

"In a few days time."

Each word hit me like a ton of bricks. How could the only person I felt so incredibly close to, that I didn't even _remember_, be getting married to another? Had I simply been a coward in my other life? Had I never told her how I felt?

"This may come across as impudent but I just have to know," - she glanced at me curiously with those wonderful bluish green eyes- "were we ever involved, Julia? Romantically?"

Suddenly she became very uncomfortable and stared downwards. "Yes, we were, William." Looking at me hopefully, "Are you starting to remember?"

I shook my head and said, "What happened? Why are we no longer together?"

"It's complicated..."

"Please, Julia, I have to know."

She sighed. "I told you something about myself...and you didn't take very kindly to the knowledge."

If my feelings were half as strong towards her as they currently were, I couldn't believe I would ever have let her go. What kind of damn fool was I in this past life?

We sat in awkward silence the rest of the way to the morgue.

Two constables wheeled the body into the viewing area and I followed them inside. Julia told me to take a seat at her desk.

She pulled out the same needle from before and I couldn't stop myself from flinching yet again.

"This will only hurt for a second, William."

Julia took the blood sample over to her laboratory and got to work. In the meantime I glanced around the room, not recognizing any of it but still somehow _knowing _what everything was. I caught my reflection in a glass partition and did a double take. What on _earth_ was I wearing? It was utterly ridiculous and further proof of what an imbecile I must have been...was.

I looked across the room and at her and grimaced. It was killing me that she would soon be wed to another. Whatever had happened in the past didn't matter. I was going to fix things between us, I was determined to do so if it was the last thing I ever did.

She stood up and smiled slightly in my direction. "The tests will take some time." Gesturing towards the body she said, "I'm going to have to perform the autopsy now. You might not want to be here for that."

I walked over to her and said, "I don't mind."

Julia seemed a bit uneasy. "Yes, well, the only issue is that, well..."

"Speak your mind, Julia."

"Part of the murder weapon was found under your bed." I raised my eyebrows at that. I didn't think I was capable of killing a man but maybe...

She reached out and touched my forearm. "I don't for one second believe that you did this, William. Once I prove that you were drugged, we will be able to establish a case otherwise. Someone must be attempting to frame you."

"Do I have many enemies then?"

"You're a detective and you've put a lot of men behind bars, so yes, William, I'd say that you have some enemies."

"A detective?" I said looking down at my attire. "Dressed like this?"

Julia smirked a little. "We were at a costume party last night."

_We?_

"Why were you not with your fiance?"

"Darcy was visiting family in Buffalo and could not attend."

"So you asked me to escort you instead?"

"Not exactly...my sister, Ruby orchestrated the whole thing."

"And why would she have done that?"

Julia glanced away again. She seemed to be doing that awfully frequently.

"Who knows?" she muttered. "Ruby's motivations are often unclear."

It was obvious that she was being less than forthcoming but I didn't push the issue.

"Here, let me help you with the body."

"Thank you."

We lifted the murder victim onto the cold slab and then she stared at me. "I have to warn you, it's a bit gruesome."

I said I would be fine and she lifted back the white sheet. The man had clearly been bashed in the head several times. Whoever had done this had been angry, enraged even.

As Julia was preparing her utensils, a white haired man entered the viewing area. Though I didn't know his name, I felt that I didn't like him very much. The way he was currently looking at me, told me that the feeling was mutual.

"Detective Murdoch," said the Englishman, "I've just been informed of all the particulars." He glanced over at the body. "How _convenient_ that you've managed to get total amnesia...again."

_Again? Just how feeble minded am I?_

"Who are you?"

"Hilarious, Murdoch. I know that you are faking this. And I intend to prove it."

"Actually, Inspector Giles," said Julia, "I believe that he was drugged and-"

"Come now doctor, have you ever heard of a drug that completely erases a persons memory?"

"Well, no," she replied, giving me an apologetic look, "but there are new drugs synthesized every day, so it is completely within the realm of possibility that-"

"But not very likely I take it?"

She simply shook her head and seemed upset. I wanted very badly to deck Giles but that didn't seem like the best idea, not if I wanted to avoid being locked up; not if I wanted to have a chance to win Julia back before it was too late.

"Come along then, Murdoch, let's get this show on the road."

"How can he answer your questions if he doesn't remember anything?"

"I'll be the judge of _that_, doctor."


	2. Tensions Run High

Inspector Giles was a most disagreeable sort. He hounded me with questions that I could not answer and then finally locked me up in the holding cells. On the one hand I was free from the temptation to hurt the man, on the other I could not go see Julia. I tried my hardest to remember something, anything about my life up until last night but nothing was there. It was all just a white blank. Eventually I became disconcerted enough to give up in this folly and simply sat there wondering how to get myself out of this mess and what I would say to Julia when I next saw her.

It was awhile before someone came to see me. When they did, it was not who I hoped but instead the same orange haired man that had been present during my interrogation, albeit on the outside looking in. He introduced himself as Inspector Brackenreid. I was confused at first why there were two inspectors in the same station house until I realized the necessity of an outsider.

"It's not looking good, me old mucker.

_Me old mucker?_

"So far everything is pointing towards you. Are you absolutely positive that you don't recall anything from last night?"

"I'm sorry, but no."

"Well that's not good enough! Someone must have come into your room in order to plant the evidence. If you can't remember who, we're sunk."

_You mean I'm sunk._

"There's got to be a reason for this frame up, sir. If you can determine a reason for someone holding a grudge against me, that should lead you to the killer."

"Don't you think we've tried that? No one at the party had any previous connections to you!"

"Maybe you just haven't dug deep enough yet? Have you done thorough background checks on everyone in attendance?"

Brackenreid made a face. "For a bloke who doesn't remember anything, you sure are annoyingly Murdoch like!"

I didn't know if I took this as a compliment or not. I wasn't sure I liked who I used to be.

The inspector seemed ready to leave but I stopped him. "Sir, can you tell me why Julia has not visited me?"

Brackenreid sighed. "Bloody Giles has forbidden it. Somehow he learned of your past relationship. The bloody tosser thinks that all her findings are tainted now, _including_ the discovery that you were indeed drugged! Which is why you have to remember something, anything!"

My impending doom seemed nothing in comparison to losing her.

"Is there anyway that you could sneak her in for a few minutes?"

"If Giles were to find out..."

"Please, sir, it's _very_ important."

"Bloody hell," he muttered. "All right, Murdoch, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, sir," I said smiling.

* * *

Several more hours passed in which the sky gradually darkened and I began to feel drowsy. The effects of the drug seemed to be weakening but my mind was still a complete and utter blank. With one exception. I would continuously replay the moment at which I first laid eyes on her. It seemed to have a calming effect on me, which only served to make me even more drowsy. Determined to stay awake, lest she should be brought to me, I began pacing my tiny cell.

Finally the main holding cell door was opened and a familiar face poked through. I smiled at her arrival and it was returned, though only halfheartedly.

"What seems to be troubling you, Julia?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"To me it is."

She shook her head. "We don't have a lot of time, William, the inspector has only granted us five minutes. What did you wish to speak to me about?" Cautiously, "Did you recall something?"

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?" she said curiously.

"In the interest of saving time, allow me to speak plainly."

She nodded.

"I don't remember you or the foolish reason that I let you go, but I know with absolute certainty...that I am in love with you."

Julia gasped at this proclamation and then cast her eyes downward. It was not the response that I had been hoping for.

"William, you know that I am to be married soon."

"So you do not feel the same way?" I asked heartbroken.

She sighed. "I didn't say that..."

"Then what's the problem?"

Julia retrieved a piece of paper from her purse and held it up to the bars. "Does this look familiar to you?"

I hastily read the stirring dialogue. I couldn't recall writing it but it voiced my feelings exactly. Though I was confused about one point.

"Why would it be necessary to adopt?"

"Because William, I had an abortion that left me sterile. It is the reason we broke up."

I won't lie. It did come as a shock to me. At first I was outraged and I didn't even know why. Perhaps I had been some religious zealot in my past life. After a few seconds a profound sadness came over me, as if never having natural born children was the be all and end all to my life. Some more time passed and the wave of emotion I experienced around her returned in full measure. I focused on this and blocked out the negative feelings.

I grabbed the bars. "I don't know why I never said anything before and it no longer matters anymore. All that matters is that I still feel the same way as the man who wrote that proposal to you. I still wish for you to be my wife."

"Oh William," she said with tears in her eyes, placing a hand over top mine. "I desire that very much too."

I reached through the bars and wiped away her tears, feeling as though I could fly, I was so happy.

"You would have me, even though I cannot remember everything we used to be?"

She smiled and squeezed my hand. "We will just have to make new memories."

I returned the smile. "I would like that very much."

"When Darcy returns tomorrow, I will tell him that I cannot go through with our union. In the meantime, I will do my best to prove your innocence. There-"

The door banged open and a quietly seething Giles stood in the threshold. Brackenreid arrived a few seconds later.

"Doctor, I thought I gave you a direct order? Is it possible that you misunderstood me?"

"Not at all inspector-"

"Then _why_ are you here, fraternizing with the suspect? Are you attempting to fill the detective's mind with false memories? Did _you_ perhaps kill Littlefair?"

"Bloody hell!" said Brackenreid. "You're barking up the wrong tree, Giles!"

"I don't think so." Giles locked angry eyes on Julia. "Until such time as I see fit, _you_ will have to be incarcerated too, doctor."

He bodily took her by the arm.

"Leave her alone!" I said loudly, shaking the bars. "She hasn't done anything wrong!"

"You'd best do as the man says, Giles!" said Brackenreid just as angrily. "I've had just about enough of you in _my_ station house, throwing _my_ people into _my_ cells!"

"Is that a threat, inspector?"

"Damn straight it is, you goddamn bastard!"

"I don't respond to threats, inspector, no matter who they are coming from."

He continued to drag Julia to the holding cell beside mine when Brackenreid tapped him on the shoulder and punched him in the face! He fell to the ground and Julia grabbed onto the bars to avoid doing the same.

"Thank you for doing that, inspector," Giles said calmly, as the blood dripped from his lower lip. "Now you can join her."

I suddenly realized that Brackenreid was right. We were sunk.

* * *

**Lol so this story is becoming very melodramatic...but I'm okay with that. :p**


	3. Bread Trail

The Doctor and Murdoch were intolerable! All Brackenreid wanted to do was get some bloody rest but they would not stop talking or staring lovey dovey at one another! It seemed Dr. Ogden was trying to jog Murdoch's memory by reliving their entire bloody relationship up to this point! Apparently they had forgotten that he was there. Several times Brackenreid had wanted to snap at them but the more he listened to the doctor, the more he realized that they sorely needed this respite.

There were far too many times that he himself had communicated poorly with Margaret, leading to many nasty arguments...but at least they had always spoken their respective minds in the end and had not left things unsaid. These two on the other hand, they seemed to have avoided speaking their true feelings on several different occasions, leading to several different break ups and several wasted months. Though he didn't often wax poetic about them, he did indeed think they made an admirable pair and had tried his best to push Murdoch onto the right path. But the detective was a stubborn bloke, too honourable by far and it had been to his detriment over and over again.

So it somehow made perfect sense to Brackenreid that by losing his memories and all his old hang ups, and simply following his heart, Murdoch was capable of doing what he could not when his rather oversized brain got in the way. In a lot of ways the inspector thought this memory loss was for the best. Not only would they not need to suffer for the rest of their lives, trying to recapture their former glory, but now Murdoch would be far more moldable to Brackenreid's methods of investigation and his life would hopefully become considerably easier quite soon.

Assuming they still had their jobs after getting out of this mess that is. Brackenreid didn't regret punching Giles for one second, even though it meant going slightly nuts listening to them, but now all of their hopes for rescue were solely placed on the shoulders of one George Crabtree! The man frequently got distracted by spiders! How in the bloody hell was he supposed to prove Murdoch's innocence?

_ I need a bloody drink._

* * *

After this whole fiasco, Chief Constable Stockton had gotten involved with his usual contempt towards all things Murdoch. As far as he was concerned, Giles had acted appropriately and the three of them would remain behind bars until this case was solved. They would have moved them to station house three, but the chances that the press would catch wind of this increased exponentially if they did so and they didn't want to deal with all the fanfare as well if they didn't have to. Stockton himself would oversee station house three until then.

Giles rounded up the men and explained the situation. To add insult to injury, the lads were forbidden from making any contact with the detainees for the foreseeable future, with the exception of the holding cell guard, who was hand picked by Giles from his own station house. If any of them attempted to discuss the case with the three of them in any way, they would be swiftly fired for disobeying orders.

Stockton had yet to decide Brackenreid's fate. He liked the man only slightly more than he liked Murdoch, not caring for the way the inspector often talked back to him. He had dismissed a Detective Lamb for a similar form of violent insubordination...but the inspector was not a rank below Giles, nor would he be gotten rid of that easily. If Stockton were to fire Brackenreid the lads of this station house would surely all mutiny and he would have to fire all of them. He didn't relish the prospect of having to repopulate an entire station, not when he was so close to retirement. So for the time being, he would simply mull things through with some of Brackenreid's good scotch.

* * *

Giles had taken George off the case, knowing full well of his devotion to the detective. In fact, he had made sure to replace George with members of his own station house. So it was that no one who cared about the doctor or detective were actually working the case! Giles had given him other, more mundane tasks to attend to but he had shirked them off on Henry and continued his own separate (desperate) investigation in his apartment. He was continuing the background checks, looking for anything and everything he could use to exonerate them.

Luckily, George wasn't working alone. Because of the circles Ruby kept, she had heard whispers of disquiet amongst the police force. Naturally she had bee-lined straight to George in order to suss out the particulars. Understandably she was outraged by her sisters incarceration and fully intended to put a stop to it by using the power of the press. George had convinced her otherwise.

"If you do that, Ruby, this mess will become even more muddled than it already is. Besides, I'm sure your sister doesn't mind being in close proximity with the detective."

After some consideration, "Yes, I suppose you are right, George. I'm quite pleased that Darcy is finally out of the picture. He was a most dull individual and could never have satisfied Jules properly. I never would have heard the end of it."

"Isn't that a bit mean of you? It's not the mans fault that he got caught in the middle of two lovers!"

"No, it's not, but I can't help the way I feel and as you know, I always state my opinions, regardless of what others might think." She glanced at him coyly, "Isn't that what you like about me, George? I thought we shared this lack of tact."

George just stared at her for a few moments, wanting to kiss her for what felt like the hundredth time but not having the guts to do so. She had quite the reputation and he was very afraid to start something that might quickly get out of hand and/or lead to heartbreak, most likely on his side. Besides, they had more important matters to attend to. The detective's neck was on the line!

His eyes drifted back to the newspaper articles he had found in the archives and he flipped the page. When he did he couldn't help but groan internally. This _can't_ be happening, he thought, rubbing his forehead.

Ruby caught his change in demeanour and asked sharply, "What's wrong? What did you discover?"

George sighed. "According to this article, Detective Murdoch _was_ connected to Littlefair!"

"Give that here!" she commanded, grabbing it from him without waiting.

After a few seconds she looked up confused. "George, this article says nothing about Littlefair..."

"Well, it wouldn't. Before I was taken off the case, I learned that the man had changed his name from Michael Cudmore. He's the fellow who killed the innkeeper and that the detective failed to put behind bars."

"What are you saying, George? Do you really think Detective Murdoch would have killed the man in cold blood in order to get justice...and then stuck around afterwards faking amnesia?"

"No, of course not, Ruby! But it is a most troubling discovery. If Giles were to find out...well, let's hope that _doesn't _happen, or there will be no way to persuade him of the detective's innocence!"

* * *

They had talked the entire night. As such it was only early that morning that they finally got to sleep. This was the first time Murdoch had closed his eyes since awakening to his new life. At first he dreamed nothing in particular, just random images of the single day he had memory of. But the deeper his slumber became, the more complex were his dreams. Distorted images of things he had no recollection of witnessing began plaguing his mind. Most notably was a surreal cat creature who grinned and spoke to him! The voice was not familiar in the slightest nor were the details surrounding the creatures origins.

He woke with a start and apparently a bit of a scream because Julia put her hand on his shoulder through the bars. He placed his over top hers while he calmed down.

"What did you see?"

"A cat," he said distractedly. "A very strange cat. It was...smiling at me." He turned around to face Julia and she seemed to be thinking. "What does it mean?"

"I think you're describing the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland."

"Does that help us at all?"

"Possibly. There _was_ someone dressed up like that at the party." Her eyes got wide. "I believe it was Littlefair's wife!" Julia tried to get the attention of their guard, (waking up a snoring Brackenreid in the process) but he simply ignored her. "Oh hell," she muttered under her breath, "this is intolerable!"

Murdoch smiled at her and said, "You are very fetching when you're angry."

"How can you make jokes at a time like this?!"

"Because Julia, I'm starting to remember."


	4. So Long, Goodbye

The holding cell guard told them that a visitor would be joining them shortly. This surprised them as no one had been granted access to them since their imprisonment. And the only time they had even seen anyone else was when they were escorted upstairs to the toilets.

_Who could it be_? thought Julia, _Ruby perhaps_?

As soon as the main door was opened, she knew she had been mistaken. It was Darcy!

Giles himself brought the man in, looking even more smug than usual. He must have known how awkward the following encounter was going to be.

"I'll leave you to explain the situation, Dr. Ogden."

Darcy was standing in front of the middle cell, looking puzzled. He glanced to his left and right to find William and the inspector also present. For whatever reason his eyes lingered on William longer than the latter.

Finally his eyes found hers and he placed a hand to the bars. She didn't reciprocate the gesture.

"Julia, what on earth is going on? I returned home only a few hours ago, with you nowhere to be found, half out of my mind with worry. I tried to contact your sister but she could not be reached either. So I came to the station house to report a missing persons case..." gesturing around them, "and here we are."

Julia rubbed her arm and glanced down. "I'm terribly sorry for causing you such a fright, Darcy." She sighed and then began explaining what had happened since his departure. Darcy's eyes went through a variety of emotions, while his face stayed neutral. When she finished the narration his eyes had narrowed in suspicion.

"So," he said slowly, "what are you saying, Julia? That you're in here because you were simply trying to help clear Detective Murdoch's name?" He glanced at the man in question briefly. "That doesn't make much sense to me."

Julia was silent and he prompted her again.

"Inspector Giles ordered me not to come here...(_due to our past romantic relationship)_. I did anyway and now he thinks I'm involved in the murder."

"But that's ridiculous! You would never- I'm going to get this cleared up right this instant!"

He was half way to the door before she stopped him. "I appreciate your indignation, Darcy, but I wasn't finished yet."

It took all of her strength to continue speaking. She wished William and the inspector were not here to witness her disgrace.

"What more _could _there be?!"

"Darcy, I should have told you sooner, but, well,"- she took a deep breath- "our wedding is off." She removed her engagement ring and held it out to him through the bars. "I'm not going to be marrying you tomorrow."

Darcy's skin tone blanched, making him look even more like a ghost than usual. He was quiet for awhile while he processed this statement and then he stared angrily at William, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"This is all your fault, isn't it?! I thought I told you what would happen if you interfered!"

Julia frowned at that comment. If ever she had any doubt that Ruby had said something about their past relationship, it was forever put to rest now. Still it was surprising to note that Darcy had threatened William. It was so unlike the person she had grown to love. But perhaps a year wasn't really enough time to get to know someone?

William simply levelled a blank stare at Darcy.

"You're lucky you're locked up or I would-"

"Enough, Darcy!" she exclaimed. "It's over. I'm sorry but I choose William. I never meant to hurt you but I couldn't in good conscience go through with our union. Not when I still have feelings for him."

With one last furious glare at the two of them, he stormed out of there, not taking the ring out of her hand. Julia stuck it in her blouse pocket and an awkward silence ensued.

"Well, that went well," said Brackenreid, with a chuckle. "Poor bastard." All of a sudden he was very chipper. "Oh well, he'll get over it soon enough."

Julia was slightly miffed. He was basically saying that she was not anything particularly special.

"Nothing a little whiskey can't cure."

_Was that the man's solution to everything?_

Julia's clinical mind took over a second and she wondered not for the first time, just how much damage the inspector had done to his liver with all his drinking. Unless he was made of unusually tough stuff, eventually he would succumb to cirrhosis and end up on her slab. That was not a day she cherished thinking about and was the precise reason she had told Margaret to try and get him to join The Temperance league a few years back. Predictably this bold manoeuvre had failed but Margaret _had_ succeeded in getting him to cut back a bit, if only a very little. Which was better than nothing and counted as a win in her book. Technically the end of her relationship with Darcy should also be construed as such but she couldn't seem to feel very happy about the circumstances.

Beside her was the man of her dreams, (both figuratively and literally) that she had yearned for in often excruciating ways, and yet, something wasn't quite right. If William never fully retrieved his memories, could he really be considered as the same man that she had fallen in love with? Or would there always be a piece missing from him that prevented them from fitting together perfectly?

_I suppose I will find out soon enough...assuming William is not hung._

But she couldn't-wouldn't think about that scenario and instead sat on her bed, humming a calming tune to herself while she combed her ample hair with her fingertips. It wasn't long before she noticed William watching her and feeling embarrassed for some reason, stopped.

"That melody..."

"Yes?"

"It's quite lovely. I feel as though I've heard it before but I can't seem to place it."

"My mother used to sing it to me...no doubt you've heard me in the morgue." Her eyes brightened. "This is good news, William, it means your amnesia is continuing to wane!"

* * *

"Ruby, listen to this!" cried George. "Among the witnesses was an actress by the name of Ava Moon! She claims that Cudmore assaulted her after he was acquitted on a technicality!"

"So?" she asked puzzled. "There was no one by the name of Ava Moon at the party."

"Yes, but I distinctly recall something along the lines of that in the nonsense poem!"

Ruby's eyes flashed excitedly. "Well, then, George, it appears we need to have a word with our hostess for she is the one who wrote it!"

They were in the middle of throwing on their shoes when there was a loud knock at the door. They shared a look with one another and then George went to answer it. A constable he had never seen before was standing in the threshold. He was large and imposing but George thought he could handle him if needs be.

"Inspector Giles requests your immediate presence."

George glanced back at Ruby, who was looking a little concerned. Nevertheless she nodded and the message was understood. Ruby would take over from here on out.


	5. The Wrong Side of the Tracks

Inspector Giles had his arms propped on Brackenreid's desk and was staring at George over his steepled fingertips.

"Constable Crabtree, what possible reason can you give me for your extended absence?"

"I was...on my lunch break, sir."

"Indeed," Giles replied, expression remaining neutral. "And is it customary procedure for a constable to leave the premises during such a time?"

"No, sir, but I forgot my lunch at home." He patted his stomach. "I'm afraid it was quite necessary for me to go there or else I would have become quite surly. Just between you and me, sir, you don't want that to happen. I make a terrible worker when I'm hungry."

He folded his hands in his lap. "Apparently you make a poor one regardless. I witnessed constable Higgins attempting to do _your_ assigned tasks."

"Oh Henry is always helping me out, sir. He likes to get a good days work in as often as possible. Makes him feel like he's accomplished something."

Giles observed him silently. "Let's skip to the chase, shall we, constable? I _know_ what you were really up to."

"Sir?" George asked innocently.

"There's no use denying it. I'm starting to wonder if the employees of this institution have hearing problems. Did I not explicitly forbid you from working on the case any longer?"

"Yes, you did, sir."

"So you are simply incapable of following orders, is that it?"

George was very annoyed with this man and could no longer hold back.

"With all due respect, sir, you forced my hand. You've not been giving the detective a fair shake of things. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted him to hang."

Giles didn't respond right away but scowled. "Don't you ever dare to question my objectivity again, constable. If you do, the consequences will be severe. Now get out of my sight before I decide to lock you up too for insubordination."

_I'll give you real cause for insubordination_, he thought, making a fist.

"Sir!" exclaimed a station house three lad from nearby. Inspector Giles called him in and George stuck around a little longer to hear what was cause for such jubilation. A feeling of dread would also not be dispelled.

"I've found a connection to the detective!"

George sneaked a peek and saw it was the same article that mentioned Cudmore and the killing of the innkeeper.

"Very good, Matthews," Giles said smiling. "Now we've got him."

"Sir," said George, "there's more to the story than that! You-"

"I thought I told you to leave, constable," said the inspector menacingly.

Holding back a retort he left, hoping with all his heart that Ruby was making significant progress.

* * *

"Mrs. Reda," said Ruby, over a cup of tea, "Francine, I need you to be completely honest with me." The woman gave her an enquiring glance. "Is your real name Ava Moon?"

Francine made a funny face. "No of course not, my dear. What on earth would possess you to ask such an odd question?"

"It's about Detective Murdoch. His peers are still under the impression that he killed Littlefair. It is my belief that he is innocent and in fact a woman by the name of Ava Moon killed him."

"That is simply dreadful but I fail to see the relevance to me."

"You wrote the nonsense poem did you not?"

"Well, yes-"

"So then why did you mention a woman named Ava Moon being savaged by an ogre, who in turn was slayed?"

The woman's tea cup clattered into her saucer. "I have no idea how that happened!" A shadow crossed her features. "No wait! I seem to recall Miss Gardner being very particular about the phrasing. But I can't imagine such a sweet young lady would have anything to do with this. Why would she want to ruin the party she helped design?" She placed a hand to her chest. "Oh dear! It was _her_ idea to invite the Littlefairs!"

"Thank you for the delicious tea, Francine," said Ruby standing up without having actually tasted it. "But I must be going now. If you'd be so kind as to point me in the direction of Miss Gardner's abode, I'd be forever grateful."

* * *

By the time Ruby arrived at Ava Moon's apartment, it was too late! The place had been cleared out and the woman was nowhere to be found!

_Now what the devil am I supposed to do?_

After a little while she rallied herself and vacated the premises. She'd be damned if her sister's lover and subsequent happiness was gone for good. Ruby felt for Miss Moon, she did, but if it was the choice between an innocent man's life and hers, there _was_ no choice.

There were only so many ways in which Ava could leave the city. The fastest was by train so that was where she headed now, hopping into the waiting carriage. She just prayed that she was right and that Ava hadn't already left.

When she got to the train station, she realized she had overlooked a rather important point. She didn't even know what Ava looked like! There had been no pictures in the apartment and the woman had worn a mask the entire time they were at the party!

I shall just have to improvise, she thought to herself with a slight smirk.

There were only two platforms here divided by a ticket booth and various different people scattered around on either side. Having no idea which direction Ava would want to travel in, this didn't help Ruby in any way. There were however only a few women travelling on their own, with no farewell party to speak of. She walked by each of them in turn, stealing a glance at their reactions. Most simply smiled at her, including one who had a nasty scar across her face. Intuition was telling her that this was the person she was looking for.

So Ruby sidled up beside her and said, "Nice afternoon for a train ride, eh, Miss Moon?"

The woman didn't respond to the question and just looked at her blankly. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you have the wrong person. I don't know you."

It was a mistake to speak to her. Ruby had a very good memory for voices, often getting anonymous tips over the phone for stories she was working on. It helped to know if a repeat customer was simply trying to pull her leg.

"I commend you, Ava, I really do. If someone ever dared to touch me without my consent, I would have done the same as you. Unfortunately, the man you have framed is quite special to my sister, dare I say the key to her happiness, and as such, I can't let you get away with this."

The woman was silent for some time before replying.

"Your sister is better off without him. Detective Murdoch is no saint. He is the cause of all my suffering. He is the reason I look like this."

"I beg to differ, Ava. The detective never laid a hand on you. It's all that bastard Cudmore's fault. You gave him what he deserved but now you'll have to pay the consequences of your actions. You can't let an innocent man hang for your crimes. You have to turn yourself in now."

Without another word, Ava took off down the platform and Ruby chased after her, cursing herself for wearing such uncomfortable, yet dainty shoes. Apparently this was an unusual sight because the waiting passengers watched them with rapt fascination, particularly the men. It was hard to say who was more determined, but they both ran furiously fast. At the end of the platform, Ava jumped off and kept on going, across the tracks and towards the forest. If she made it in there, the chances that Ruby would lose her rose exponentially. So thinking fast on her feet, she scooped up a rock and threw it with all her might, hoping her aim was true and better than the days when she and Jules had secretly played catch with the commoners. It was not and she missed by quite a wide mark. Luckily she had only stopped momentarily and continued to chase after Ava. When the woman looked behind her to judge her progress, she tripped on something in front of her and tumbled to the ground. Within a few seconds Ruby had caught up to the scrambling lady and tackled her back to the ground. While sitting on the woman's back she stared at her shoes, noting that they were ruined.

_Oh hell, these were brand new!_


	6. Taste of Freedom

The inspector was going stir crazy in his cell. It had been over twelve hours since last he drank. Mostly he was just muttering curse words under his breath but once in awhile they burst out loud enough for us to hear. Julia was not fairing much better. About an hour ago Giles had come into the holding cell area to inform us that I was in deep trouble. Apparently he had made some sort of past connection to the dead man, and that coupled with an altercation and the murder weapon with _my_ finger marks under_ my_ bed, meant I was practically hung. Of course Giles did not say such a thing outright but his looks intimated as much. The others once again tried to point out that it was obvious I was being framed but Giles was deaf to their logic.

I didn't understand this hatred towards me. What had I ever done to him? I asked Julia and Brackenreid if they knew but neither of them had any clue either. I suppose it's true that certain people simply don't like others on sight. It was curious to me that the chief constable seemed to have the same problem when he was dragged in here the previous night. Though I was unaccustomed to people looking at me with such contempt, I could still recognize the signs just as well. Their looks filled me with dread. Strange how almost the same thing happened when Julia looked at me. I was afraid I had ruined her life by breaking up her engagement. If I was to be hung, she would have no one to fall back to, not unless Darcy was a very forgiving man. Based on the little I had witnessed of him, he didn't seem to be. And it physically hurt me to think that she would be alone for the rest of her life, I could barely stand to return her glances any longer.

So it was a welcome relief when a loud commotion just outside our doors roused our attention.

"You can't go in there!" exclaimed someone.

"Watch me!" said an unfamiliar woman's voice.

A petite blond woman who looked vaguely familiar to Julia barged her way in with a determined look across her face.

"Ruby!" said Julia, jumping up to the bars.

"Hello Jules," she said with a smile.

_Jules?_

The holding cell guard stood up at the same moment another constable came through the side door. They were both attempting to get her to leave, even relatively politely it seemed.

"Since when is it a crime to visit ones own sister in jail?"

She gave them such a piercing glare that they backed off, the second man leaving all together, grumbling under his breath.

"Ruby, it's so good to see you! Please tell me you have good news!"

"Indeed I do, sister," she replied, smile widening. "I have single handedly apprehended the real killer."

"Blimey!" said Brackenreid. "You're just full of surprises aren't you Miss Ogden?"

"Yes, I am, inspector. Don't worry Jules, detective, you'll be out of here in no time. Even Inspector Giles cannot overlook a confession made right in his face!"

It made little sense why I asked the following but I did anyway. "Who has framed me Miss Ogden?"

"Miss Ogden?" she murmured looking surprised. "Don't you think we are far beyond such formalities, William?"

I gave her an apologetic look and she stared at me some more. "Say is something the matter with you? You seem...different."

Apparently no one had told her about my amnesia so I endeavoured to explain the situation.

"You've got to be kidding me!" she sputtered aghast. "How dreadful!"

She glanced between the two of us. "But I don't understand. How did you two come to work out your differences if William has no memory?"

"I don't know," I replied, sharing a look with Julia. "I suppose it was just our fate."

"How wonderfully romantic," said Ruby, clasping her hands together.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" said Julia, smiling at me. I genuinely returned the gesture for the first time in over an hour.

"Bloody hell," said Brackenreid. "Don't you lot start again. Not until I've had a drink!"

His brash interruption snapped us out of our pleasant mood and it was back to business. Ruby informed us of the real culprit and it shocked Julia but meant nothing to me. I did not know this Ava Moon, nor how I had supposedly failed her. But considering how tangled my relationship with Julia had become in just a few years time, I could well believe that I had blundered with Ava as well.

The longer the sisters talked, the more agitated the guard became. I could tell he was just itching to throw her out but didn't know how to go about it. Possibly he had never handled a woman before, in any capacity. At least I knew that I had...or at least suspected I had based on Julia's description of our past relationship. I didn't know how far we had gone and it would have been improper to ask her on any occasion, let alone with two other men present. I was now hopeful that I would get to find out all over again.

Before Ruby left, Giles entered, looking like a perfect gentleman. It was obvious to me that he was seething just below the surface. Or perhaps I only imagined that to be the case.

Without a word of apology to any of us, he unlocked the doors said, "You're free to go," and walked out. Brackenreid however was not so lucky. His judgement had yet to be determined by Stockton. Not surprisingly, he was not happy about this, but not because he would be kept from his family for even longer.

The sisters hugged first and then Julia and I did. Everything about this seemed familiar, even though it shouldn't have. Either it was another case of the heart remembering or my memory was being jogged yet again. Apparently Julia was the only person who had this effect on me. I was just glad that she was mine and that we were free to start a life together.

Ruby said her goodbyes and then we strolled outside, hand in hand, stealing glances at one another frequently, smiling every time we did so. That is until we passed a display window with a bridal dress. I could not tell if it was pretty or not as I had nothing to compare it too. Somehow I knew I wouldn't have known regardless. When Julia caught sight of it her expression changed almost imperceptibly and I knew her thoughts had drifted back to her ex-fiance and the wedding that was not to be.

Determined to take her mind off such things, I pulled her towards a hat shop at the end of the street. There were a variety of them of all shapes, colours and sizes and I picked one up at random and put it on my head.

"What do you think, Julia, does it suit me?"

Julia took one look and burst out laughing. "William, that is a woman's hat!"

A few female shoppers cocked their heads in our direction at her outburst.

"It is?" I said, pretending to be shocked. "I had no idea." I grinned. "But you didn't answer my question, Julia."

"Almost," she replied, eyeing me evilly, "but not quite."

She came over, took it off and replaced it with another hat, this one with a very outlandish design. At least mine had been relatively dignified.

"There," she said merrily, biting back a laugh, "that is _much_ better." She turned me to face a mirror and said, "Here, have a look for yourself, William."

I had no doubt that I looked ridiculous and sure enough when I glanced into the mirror I couldn't help but cringe a little at my appearance. The large black feather sticking out of the wide purple brim was the worst feature of the atrocity. How was this considered a hat?

It was then that I noticed the other women and the shopkeeper all staring at me keenly with bemused expressions across their faces. I might have been willing to do a lot for Julia but my quota of embarrassment for one day was just about filled.

In order to wrap this silly event up I turned to face her and said, "You're right, Julia, this one _does_ suit me better."

We shared a look for a few seconds and she laughed again, swiftly removing it off of my head and back onto the rack.

"What?" I asked, mocking surprise. "You don't think I should purchase it?"

"Come along, William," she said, rolling her eyes, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the shop.

We walked in silence for a few seconds and I said, "See, Julia, It will be fun making new memories together."

Her body, or rather arm stiffened against mine and when she returning my gaze I noticed something shift in those teal depths. The corners of her lips twitched and I was unsure whether I had upset or intrigued her with my comment.

We walked around for hours, taking in the many sights of the city. Again, I seemed to know what every building was, but couldn't recall ever seeing any of them before. Julia kept glancing at my expression, no doubt trying to determine if my memory was being jogged.

As it got dark, I mentioned being hungry and she led me to a fancy restaurant a short ways away. At first glance I knew it was Italian but I didn't know how I knew that. In any case, the restaurant was bustling but we were quickly seated due to Julia's presence. Judging by the fact that they reacted so quickly to her, told me that she was of high rank and that she frequently came here.

The corner booth we received was fairly secluded and I suppose one might say romantic. A sudden intuition hit me then.

"Julia, did we used to frequent this establishment?"

Her eyes shined brightly at that remark. "You remembered?"

I wanted very much to make her happy and tell her what she wanted to hear but I couldn't.

"I'm sorry, but no. It was just a hunch."

Face falling slightly she nevertheless smiled and said, "Well, your intuition was always good, so I'm not surprised."

I reached out across the little square table and placed a hand over top hers. "Things will get better, Julia. I promise."

Of course this could also be construed as a lie since I couldn't see the future but I felt it was necessary to say. Her smile widened a bit and we set to looking at the menus. When the waiter came by and asked if we wanted any wine, I immediately said yes.

"William, you don't drink."

"Tonight I do. We're celebrating our release."

Needless to say the fine red wine made things less awkward between us. I wanted to make her laugh again by telling her a funny story but I had no material for such an endeavour. In the end we mostly just discussed the merits of our food and at one point I fed her some of mine. She was surprised by this, apparently I never used to do that.

To my left was a dance floor and I stood up and held my hand out to her. She gladly took it with a little giggle and I immediately stepped on her foot when we attempted to waltz.

Instead of upsetting her, she seemed amused by this and laughed loudly.

"Julia?"

"When we first took lessons you were almost beyond help." She smirked, "As I fondly recall, you took rather inappropriate liberties."

I don't know what possessed me to do the following.

"Like this?" I asked, lowering my hand from her waist to her-

"William!" she sputtered, drawing the attention of diners and dancers alike. Quickly she removed my hand from that part of her anatomy. After a second she glanced at me curiously.

"It was an educated guess."

"No," she said softly, "I think it was more than that."

If it gave her piece of mind, who was I to disagree?

"Perhaps you're right, Julia. Now," I said drawing her closer, excited by the sharp intake of breath this elicited out of her, "let's see if we can get this right."


	7. All Good Things to Those Who Take

We danced for what felt like hours. Perhaps it was. I was not keeping track of such an unimportant thing at such a wonderful time. The pleasure of the situation was no doubt intensified by the alcohol coursing through my body. Eventually I became too light headed and had to sit down, which was all right with Julia because she too had gotten a bit tipsy. We would have gone back on the dance floor after recovering but the restaurant was closing and so we had to leave.

When we arrived at Julia's apartment she asked if I'd like to come in. A proper gentleman would have said no but I was in gay spirits that night and accepted to her utter delight. I settled down in the parlour room on a comfy sofa and rather than sit across from me for the purposes of polite conversation, she instead snuggled up against me, looking at me expectantly, and I thought with a twinge of arousal, lustfully.

I put my hand to her face and leaned in. The moment our lips touched, something shot through my mind, as if electrocuted, which caused me to jump sideways, extremely startled and unnerved.

"What is it, William?" she asked, looking at me concernedly, placing a hand to my own. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I rubbed my forehead for it was now throbbing. "I-I think I just did, Julia."

"What do you mean?" she said sharply, frowning.

"I'm not sure how to explain it...but when we kissed, well...I _saw_ something." After a moment's consideration, "I think..I think it was a drowned woman."

I couldn't remember ever kissing anyone before but I was pretty sure seeing dead people was not the usual response. What kind of morbid man was I?

She observed me with mouth agape for a few moments. Suddenly she became very excited. "Do you know what this means, William?" I shook my head. "You're remembering!"

"Julia," I said, giving her an incredulous look, "be serious."

"I _am_, William!" she exclaimed, hands on her hips, clearly annoyed at my disbelief. Before I had time to react she had jumped on top of me and crushed her lips against mine. Once again an image pierced through the fog, startling me but not as badly as the first time.

She broke away to observe my reaction. "What did you see this time?"

"A...hot air balloon." I glanced at her somewhat befuddled, "I think you were-"

Julia attacked my lips again and this time she did not let up after a single kiss. So it was that wave after wave of images cascaded through my troubled mind, making it reel with information overload. When I could not stand it any longer, I firmly placed my hands on her shoulders and pushed her away, with difficulty. She was stronger than she looked, especially when highly motivated.

"Give me a moment please, Julia," I said with some effort, eyes crammed shut, hands to my forehead as it tingled painfully all over, as if someone had stuck thousands of needles there.

Finally I opened them and stared at her curious and hopeful expression.

"Who is Enid Jones? I don't seem to recall you mentioning her."

Julia seemed miffed that I would bring her up at a moment like this which both puzzled and illuminated things for me.

"We courted, didn't we?"

"Yes," she said, slightly tight lipped. "You-"

It hit me right then. "foolishly cut ties with you after I learned of your abortion."

All she did was nod once. I reached over and took her hand.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you? In order to get my memories back, I have to get _all_ of them back. There is no in between. I can't just pick out the ones you want me to have."

Her face relaxed and she sighed. "I know, but I just wish..."

"It's in the past, Julia." I smiled. "And thanks to you, I have one again."

"Apparently I have magical lips," she said grinning widely.

"I never doubted it for a second, even without my memories. Now then," I said pulling her towards me, "where were we?"

* * *

I retrieved all my memories that fateful night, and in the process made a few wonderful new ones that I still think of fondly from time to time. Julia and I have been married for two years now and have adopted as many children. One of them is eight and the other is five. Both of them are boys. The intent had been to get one of each gender but they were siblings and did not wish to be separated. I am hopeful that a girl is still on the horizon, whenever and if ever we manage to get the little rascals under control.

George has also gotten married. Ruby and he are expecting their first child soon. I couldn't be happier for them, though I suspect he will find a baby a little more than he bargained for. I have faith that he will rise to the occasion and no doubt fill the child's mind with fantastical stories. Strangely, I myself seem to be doing that once in awhile with my own sons, though I suppose such a thing is only natural.

You may be wondering about Thomas. Yes, he did eventually get out of that cell, mostly due to the wrath of Margaret. I think Stockton was afraid of her and with good reason. If I'm not much mistaken, that woman can often rival Julia for wilful and outraged behaviour. In any case, Thomas was allowed to resume his position at the head of the station house. He seemed displeased somehow that I had retrieved my memories. When I attempted to explain how lightning kills a man, I think I understood the source of his displeasure. I will never apologize for having a curious mind so Thomas will just have to deal with it.

As for the case that started all this so long ago. Well, Ava Moon _was _arrested and had been situated in the cell next to Thomas. But later that night, in fact, the same night I retrieved my memories, she mysteriously vanished without a trace. The best I can figure, she picked the lock with a hairpin. Publicly I was dismayed that a killer who framed me never received justice. Privately I was glad. She was the reason Julia and I were able to start over and currently experiencing marital bliss. Besides, she had been to hell and back and deserved better than to be hung. Though I _would_ have attempted to gain leniency during her trial, so it _is_ conceivable that she would have instead gotten life. But what kind of a life would that have been?


End file.
